ROME, Dec 20 (Reuters) - Italy’s top administrative court has decided to freeze reimbursements by telephone companies to clients in a case relating to a new 28-day billing policy, legal sources said on Thursday.

The sources said the court had accepted an appeal by phone groups, such as Telecom Italia and Vodafone, against a lower court ruling that had called on the companies to reimburse clients before the end of the year.

The Council of State court will make a formal ruling on the issue at a later date.

In 2017 the then ruling Democratic Party banned 28-day billing periods, saying the new practice forced customers to pay the equivalent of 13 months’ worth of bills. (Reporting by Domenico Lusi, writing by Stephen Jewkes)